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Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy
1 1 Because his wife has found out about his affair with the French governess.
2 His wife had been in her room for three days refusing to speak to him and his children were running
wild and doing what they liked.
3 Because Stiva had sent her a telegram asking her to speak to his wife.
4 He had come to Moscow to propose to Stivas sister-in-law, Kitty, but he didnt think he would succeed
because he thought he was too dull and unattractive for her.
2 Count Vronsky and Constantine Levin. Vronsky is a rich young man from Petersburg. He is a soldier,
very good-looking, intelligent, well-educated and charming. Levin is kind, but not very good-looking.
He is also awkward, serious and its difficult to understand his ideas.
4 Her mother was pleased, but her father was very angry.
3 1 They live in Petersburg and they have an eight-year-old son. Anna Karenina is very beautiful and
charming. Alexei Karenin is a very important and clever man, but hes cold.
2 Their sons.
3 He was walking over the rails in the fog, didnt see the goods train coming, was caught between two
heavy trucks and was cut in two.
4 Vronsky, because he had made Kitty think he loved her. / Anna, because she knew how much Kitty
loved him, but also knew her own power over him.
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Upper Level Points for Understanding Answer Key
2 Anna got off the train to get some fresh air and she saw Vronsky standing on the railway platform.
3 He has a pale, thin face and a slow high voice; hes much older than Anna; hes cold; and he claims
not to be jealous.
4 Her son really needs and loves her, her husband doesnt seem to.
6 1 Kitty was unhappy because of Vronskys behaviour at the ball and Dolly was unhappy because of
Oblonskys behaviour and his absence from home.
2 He planned to get to know Anna and get closer to her. He succeeded in doing this because he was
invited to all his cousin, Princess Betsy Tverskoyas, parties and so was Anna because she was
related to her and they were friends.
3 Because she said she wanted to stay to dinner at the Princesss house where Vronsky was present.
4 Everyone was interested in their relationship. Some people were amused; others thought it would end
badly; others hoped it wouldnt, as they thought Anna deserved happiness.
4 Young men were jealous of Vronsky because of Annas beauty and her husbands important role;
young women were jealous of Anna, but wanted society to turn against her; older people were
unhappy because of the potential scandal. In particular, Vronskys mother, the Countess, was worried
that the affair would ruin her sons career.
2 Oblonsky came to visit Levin to sell his forest because he needed the money.
3 To come back to Moscow and ask Kitty to marry him again. He didnt think it was a good idea.
4 He said that Kitty wouldnt want to see him when she returned from abroad.
2 Anna hadnt told her husband anything about her affair with Vronsky because she was afraid he would
be angry and never let her go, or he would make her lose her son, Sasha.
3 Because Vronsky made his horse, Frou-Frou, lose her balance, fall and break her back.
4 Because she had behaved badly in public by showing her true feelings for Vronsky when she saw him
fall from his horse.
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Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.
Upper Level Points for Understanding Answer Key
5 She told him that she was in love with Vronsky and that they were lovers. She also told him that she
hated him.
10 1 Vronsky was glad Alexei knew the truth and was ready to do what was necessary to start a life with
Anna. Anna was afraid of losing her son and felt ashamed by her own behaviour.
2 She must not meet Vronsky at the house; she must do nothing to make people talk about her; and she
must not see Vronsky at all.
4 He left for Moscow, taking her lovers letters with him to give to a lawyer in order to get a divorce. He
also sent Sasha away to his sisters house.
11 1 Because his peasants did not like the new machinery he had bought to speed up the harvest; and
because he could not forget about his troubles and his love for Kitty.
2 He went abroad and it made him feel like he had a new purpose in life.
12 1 Because he thought people would think better of him if he forgave her before her death.
2 She asked them to shake hands and for Karenin to forgive Vronsky.
3 To kill himself, but he did not succeed because the shot missed his heart.
5 He decided to take the blame for the divorce so that there wouldnt be a scandal and so that he would
have appeared to behave well.
13 1 Because there were a lot of things to do, including preparing Kittys trousseau.
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Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.
Upper Level Points for Understanding Answer Key
14 1 She was a large, plain woman and she admired Karenin and hated Anna, so lost no time in making a
move on Karenin.
15 1 Vronsky wanted to return to Russia because he was bored and Anna wanted to see her son.
2 She was happy to see Anna, but felt a little uncomfortable with the grandeur of Anna and Vronskys
lifestyle and Annas unhappiness.
4 That the law saw Anna and Vronskys children as belonging to Karenin, so if they had a son he would
be unable to inherit Vronskys estate.
5 Because if she did, it would be like accepting the blame and risk losing her son forever.
6 Not really, because their happiness was too fragile and temporary.
17 1 Because she had convinced herself that Vronsky loved her less than before.
3 She realised that until they were married Vronsky could leave her at any time.
4 They got on well. Levin admired her beauty and mind, but noticed how sad Anna was.
6 At first he felt no pride or love for his son, then he felt joy.
7 He went to talk to Karenin about giving Anna a divorce. Karenin agreed to think about it, then on
Countess Lydias advice he wrote a letter refusing to give Anna a divorce.
8 He was upset because Oblonsky asked him if he remembered his mother and he either didnt, or didnt
want to.
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Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.
Upper Level Points for Understanding Answer Key
3 By killing herself.
5 She is referring to her plan to kill herself that Vronsky knows nothing about.
3 She decided to join him so that she could tell him how much she hated him.
4 She saw an old peasant, like the one she had dreamt of, hitting the wheels of the train with an iron bar.
5 The text says that she realised what she was doing at the end, but it was too late to stop.
20 1 Because after Annas death he felt his life was useless and he wanted to end it.
This page has been downloaded from www.macmillanenglish.com. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.